THE TATTOOED SOLDIER by HÉCTOR TOBAR
SUMMARY
Antonio, the main character, sees the man who killed his wife and son in a park at the beginning of the novel, recognizable by a distinctive tattoo of a Jaguar. Antonio is a Guatemalan immigrant who does not speak English well because, as he complains, he can stay in his enclave of Los Angeles and never be forced to speak English. After losing his job, Antonio becomes homeless with his friend, Jose Juan. The owner of the shop Antonio and Jose once worked at went bankrupt.
The murderer of his family is named Guillermo Longoria. Longoria reveals that he was forcefully conscripted into the Guatemalan army. The killing of Antonio's family was part of a genocide in Guatemala perpetrated against the indigenous population. Longoria and Antonio both have indigenous genetics, and Longoria has darker skin than Antonio. Longoria works at a postal office and enjoys playing chess at the local park, although he never wins.
In the next part, we are taken to the past in Guatemala. Longoria recounts being removed from the squad to which he was originally assigned, the Jaguars, and assigned to assist a mercenary squad, and takes unofficial command of the unit. Antonio and Elena are advised by Antonio's wealthy parents to move to San Cristobal, and do. They live in a village on the outskirts where there is not clean water. Elena, already on government watch lists, writes a letter to an official in protest of their lack of water and Longoria's death squad is sent to kill her.
After his wife and son are murdered but before the events of this novel, Antonio sees Longoria on a bus. Antonio does nothing, and regrets this later.
In the present day, Antonio decides to murder Longoria and he thinks Longoria doesn't recognize him. Longoria, nervous about a gang shooting that killed one of his former Jaguar brother's children, buys a gun. The store owner reminds Longoria that it is not legal to walk with a loaded gun so he takes the clip out. Antonio comes to one of Longoria's chess games at the park and hides. One of the old men Longoria plays chess with warns him about Antonio, but he doesn't pay attention. Antonio strikes, and breaks Longoria's arm with the pipe and Longoria draws his gun and realizes that the clip was still out as he tries to shoot Antonio. A police officer emerges, and while Longoria escapes, Antonio is caught, but isn't arrested.
Antonio rallies with the homeless men in his camp and decides to buy a gun. Jose Juan loans Antonio the money and his friend, Frank, leads him to a man's apartment to collect the gun. After arriving at the man's apartment, they discover Frank's friend is in jail. A teenage father approaches Frank and Antonio and leads them to a woman who does have a gun, which Antonio buys.
Longoria breaks up with his girlfriend because she stole something. His broken arm heals while Antonio stalks him, learning his routine. The Los Angeles riots in response to the Rodney King beating break out, and Antonio waits for Longoria at his apartment building. Antonio shoots Longoria. Longoria wanders through the burning city, wishing that the American soldiers who trained him in North Carolina would pick him up. Antonio finds him and finishes him off.
ANALYSIS
The Jaguar could represent a bad mark of the past which is tainting the present.
Longoria is bombastic, subservient, and hypocritical. He believes cleanliness is next to godliness and that what separates him from other people with dark skin is his civilized nature, and through racial taunts he receives in the military I gathered he was fed the idea that he was separate from the Mayans he was killing because of his training. He has a little man complex and while he wants to take over the world and cleanse LA of the same type of people he killed in Guatemala, he cannot think for himself, as evidenced by his bad chess play.
This novel draws parallels between rogue armies and gangs, saying that bad politicians are no better than gangsters. Inevitably it oversimplifies some subjects it touches on indirectly to a base level. The civil rights movement in America is compared to revenge for the racial extermination in Guatemala. Might be some stuff I'm missing, but this is what you get for free!
SUMMARY
Antonio, the main character, sees the man who killed his wife and son in a park at the beginning of the novel, recognizable by a distinctive tattoo of a Jaguar. Antonio is a Guatemalan immigrant who does not speak English well because, as he complains, he can stay in his enclave of Los Angeles and never be forced to speak English. After losing his job, Antonio becomes homeless with his friend, Jose Juan. The owner of the shop Antonio and Jose once worked at went bankrupt.
The murderer of his family is named Guillermo Longoria. Longoria reveals that he was forcefully conscripted into the Guatemalan army. The killing of Antonio's family was part of a genocide in Guatemala perpetrated against the indigenous population. Longoria and Antonio both have indigenous genetics, and Longoria has darker skin than Antonio. Longoria works at a postal office and enjoys playing chess at the local park, although he never wins.
In the next part, we are taken to the past in Guatemala. Longoria recounts being removed from the squad to which he was originally assigned, the Jaguars, and assigned to assist a mercenary squad, and takes unofficial command of the unit. Antonio and Elena are advised by Antonio's wealthy parents to move to San Cristobal, and do. They live in a village on the outskirts where there is not clean water. Elena, already on government watch lists, writes a letter to an official in protest of their lack of water and Longoria's death squad is sent to kill her.
After his wife and son are murdered but before the events of this novel, Antonio sees Longoria on a bus. Antonio does nothing, and regrets this later.
In the present day, Antonio decides to murder Longoria and he thinks Longoria doesn't recognize him. Longoria, nervous about a gang shooting that killed one of his former Jaguar brother's children, buys a gun. The store owner reminds Longoria that it is not legal to walk with a loaded gun so he takes the clip out. Antonio comes to one of Longoria's chess games at the park and hides. One of the old men Longoria plays chess with warns him about Antonio, but he doesn't pay attention. Antonio strikes, and breaks Longoria's arm with the pipe and Longoria draws his gun and realizes that the clip was still out as he tries to shoot Antonio. A police officer emerges, and while Longoria escapes, Antonio is caught, but isn't arrested.
Antonio rallies with the homeless men in his camp and decides to buy a gun. Jose Juan loans Antonio the money and his friend, Frank, leads him to a man's apartment to collect the gun. After arriving at the man's apartment, they discover Frank's friend is in jail. A teenage father approaches Frank and Antonio and leads them to a woman who does have a gun, which Antonio buys.
Longoria breaks up with his girlfriend because she stole something. His broken arm heals while Antonio stalks him, learning his routine. The Los Angeles riots in response to the Rodney King beating break out, and Antonio waits for Longoria at his apartment building. Antonio shoots Longoria. Longoria wanders through the burning city, wishing that the American soldiers who trained him in North Carolina would pick him up. Antonio finds him and finishes him off.
ANALYSIS
The Jaguar could represent a bad mark of the past which is tainting the present.
Longoria is bombastic, subservient, and hypocritical. He believes cleanliness is next to godliness and that what separates him from other people with dark skin is his civilized nature, and through racial taunts he receives in the military I gathered he was fed the idea that he was separate from the Mayans he was killing because of his training. He has a little man complex and while he wants to take over the world and cleanse LA of the same type of people he killed in Guatemala, he cannot think for himself, as evidenced by his bad chess play.
This novel draws parallels between rogue armies and gangs, saying that bad politicians are no better than gangsters. Inevitably it oversimplifies some subjects it touches on indirectly to a base level. The civil rights movement in America is compared to revenge for the racial extermination in Guatemala. Might be some stuff I'm missing, but this is what you get for free!
- man sees murderer of his family
- he attacks the murderer and breaks his arm
- the LA riot breaks out
- the protagonist finishes off the murderer of his family
Tobar, Héctor. The Tattooed Soldier. Harrison, NY: Delphinium, 1998. Print. Book about a man seeking revenge against the murderer of his family.
